1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stopper and a multifunction printer (MFP), and particularly to a stopper with a structure different from that of a conventional stopper and an MFP fitted with the stopper.
2. Description of Related Art
With the advent of the information society, an office may be provided with office automation equipment, for example, a scanner, a photocopier, or a printer, and a user may perform word processing operation by the aid of the office automation equipment. It should be noted that when being configured in the office at the same time, the office automation equipment occupies a lot of space. Therefore, an MFP integrated with, for example, photocopying, printing, and scanning functions is developed to solve the above problem.
Generally, the user puts a stack of paper in the MFP for photocopying, printing, or scanning. The MFP needs a stopper to precisely stop the paper before the paper is fed into the MFP, so as to avoid the influence on the printing procedure or printing quality caused by too much paper fed.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a conventional MFP. Referring to FIG. 1, a paper feeder of the conventional MFP includes a first stopper 110, a second stopper 120 and a convex rib 130 disposed in an inner casing and for driving the first stopper 110. In case that the paper is not fed, the first stopper 110 contacts the second stopper 120 to limit the second stopper 120, and the second stopper 120 prevents the entering of the paper. When the paper is fed, the inner casing descends and the convex rib 130 disposed in the inner casing pushes the first stopper 110, so that the first stopper 110 rotates clockwise and releases the limitation to the second stopper 120, and accordingly the second stopper 120 can freely rotate. In this case, through the rotation of a paper feed roller, the paper can freely pass through the second stopper 120 and enters a paper conveyor channel.
However, the ineffective operation of the first stopper 110 or the second stopper 120 may be caused due to the imprecise reposition of the first stopper 110 or the second stopper 120. In addition, two stoppers are required in such a design, so the material cost is high.